Month: May 2019

St Martin-in-the-Fields is welcoming its first Business Development Director, Kerry Mutter, to the team.

Kerry joins St Martin’s having spent the last nine years with Picturehouse Cinemas Ltd where she was responsible for creating, developing and growing their events strategy and increasing annual sales by over 1000%.

Kerry’s key responsibilities included managing a wide team from events to general managers as well key relationships with high-profile brands including Disney and Amazon. Her previous roles include working with conference and events sales for a leading caterer and hotel groups. Kerry’s role at St Martin’s will see her developing a portfolio of commercial activities and marketing platforms as part of the senior executive team.

The Royal Society has joined the Meetings Industry Association (mia) – one of the fastest growing associations in the conference, meetings and events sector.

As part of its membership, the Royal Society has secured the mia’s highly acclaimed AIM accreditation. AIM is the UK’s nationally recognised standard for venues and service providers in the meetings, conferences and events industry and has 50 strict criteria that venues must meet to achieve accreditation.

Jane Longhurst, mia chief executive, said: “We’re delighted to welcome The Royal Society as our latest member. Securing AIM accreditation acts as a guarantee to buyers that when they choose The Royal Society, they’re choosing a venue that cares about best practice and actively strives to meet and exceed their expectations. With so many dedicated conference centres and hotels, sporting and academic venues to choose from nationwide, it offers a smart method to quality control their selections that could ultimately save them time, anxiety and reputational risk later down the line.”

BAFTA 195 Piccadilly invites guests to explore its wonderful new pop-up ‘BAFTA Piccadilly’, while undergoing extensive refurbishment.

The venue’s temporary home away from home residence is now next door at 194 Piccadilly.

By choosing BAFTA Piccadilly to host your special event, you are helping support numerous charitable endeavours, which include nurturing new talent, inspiring audiences and celebrating the nation’s heritage across the film, television and games industries.

The ground floor at BAFTA Piccadilly will house a rotating exhibition curated by our in-house archive team, giving an opportunity to share our love of the art form of the moving image, combined with a daytime food and beverage offer. This space can be hired during the evening and is ideal for stand-up receptions, intimate celebrations and product launches.

The lower ground floor at BAFTA Piccadilly is a truly spectacular space, making your experience instantly unforgettable. Featuring an open kitchen as well as projection capabilities, this is perfect for gala dinners, award ceremonies and parties. Housing the BAFTA member’s club by day, this can be hired during evenings and weekends. Why not combine the two? The whole venue can be hired to create a truly unforgettable event for up to 350 guests.

For further information, please contact Georgie Archer at [email protected].

Lincoln’s Inn is now taking bookings in its brand-new conference centre for events from 1 November.

Opened by Queen Elizabeth II, the Ashworth Centre is named after Mercy Ashworth who was one of the first women to be called to the bar at Lincoln’s Inn in 1923. The lecture theatre is ideal for screenings, conferences and talks, and is complete with integrated AV facilities.

The tiered theatre style seating for 158 delegates also retracts, allowing the stylish double height space to be used for receptions as well as a host of other event possibilities. This venue is conveniently located next to a suite of meeting rooms suitable as break out spaces for smaller group sessions.

Cleverly constructed below the eminent Great Hall with a glass roof and natural stream of light, the Ashworth Centre provides a contemporary contrast to the historical nature of the Inn, with new DDR packages available from £65.00pp.

Cavendish Venues has signed the meeting industry association’s #20PercentLess pledge in response to the effect single-use plastics is having on the planet.

Supporting the mia’s strategy to promote sustainable and environmentally friendly operations and share best practice, the venue has joined a number of others in the business meetings and events industry to make a change.Small steps can make a big difference, and can start with removing plastic bottles, pens, stirrers, cups and cutlery from your business.

For more information about making your future events, venue choices and suppliers more sustainable, click here.

Clare Davies, sales and development manager at IET London: Savoy Place, shares her top tips for securing a last-minute venue.

1. Prices with no surprises

Choose a venue that advertises all-inclusive prices, you don’t need the extra stress of discovering hidden costs which are going to take you over budget.

Also, last minute discounts may be available, don’t be afraid to approach a venue, even if it’s little over your budget, negotiate!

2. Facilities under one roof

Look for a venue that offers services and facilities in house e.g. catering, AV and multiple meeting spaces. With everything under one roof, you can save time dealing with just one supplier, especially if a venue offers you one event coordinator to support you from start to finish.

3. Catering options

Don’t dismiss catering options, assuming that there won’t be enough time. With a week to go before the event, you can expect sandwich lunches, fork buffets, bowl food — even three course meal. With less time, finger food, sandwiches and drinks receptions can often be provided.

4. Convenient location

Opt for a city centre venue as they offer good transport links and various options for overnight stays. Plus, some venues have negotiated special rates with nearby hotels.

5. Extra touches to make the event your own

Find a venue that offers the option to personalise your event through digital branding, this way you won’t lose out on branding your event if you haven’t had time to print any.

For more information, please contact [email protected] call 020 7344 5479.

The collection will once again exhibit at The Meetings Show this year and can be found at Stand J503.

We look forward to spreading the word about the developments of the consortium to over 2,000 event professionals and giving each of our iconic venues an opportunity to engage with new buyers face-to-face.

Keep your eyes peeled for an exciting announcement before the show and be sure to look out for further details at the event…

Westminster Venue Collection is delighted to welcome One Birdcage Walk to its consortium, joining the 35-strong collection of iconic venues, bringing its member total to 36.

Regarded as one of the finest examples of traditional architecture in Westminster, the grand Victorian home of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers overlooks St James’ Park. One Birdcage Walk provides contemporary facilities in a unique building in a prestigious central London location.

The 16 event spaces throughout the venue celebrate the lives of well-known and recognised mechanical engineers, and their achievements. With creative flexibility, the venue can host events for up to 210 guests, from lectures and conferences to drinks receptions and fine-dining experiences.

The jewel in the crown at One Birdcage Walk is the Library. Built in the Elizabethan Style, clad in marble and warm oak with stunning views over the park, the Library is open to the public during the week and can hold evening receptions and dinners.

Christine Milburn-Philpott, commercial venue manager at One Birdcage Walk, said: “We are so thrilled to be joining the Westminster Venue Collection and to be included among this collective of prestigious and beautiful venues. We have been focused on building our venue profile within the events industry and joining WVC goes a long way to assist us in that goal. We are very much looking forward to getting involved with the collection and collaborating with our neighboring venues on exciting showcases and other projects.”

The Chair of Westminster Venue Collection, Rachel Azzopardi, said: “We are extremely excited to welcome such an iconic venue to our collection. One Birdcage Walk will make a strong addition to our collection, bringing together modern and traditional exhibition spaces, museums, auditoria, conference rooms and banqueting halls in the City of Westminster.”

Do you know which room in Church House Westminster played host to the House of Commons during the Second World War?

If so, you could win a pair of Beating Retreat tickets on 6 June at Horse Guards Parade.

A must-see event, this impressive programme of rousing military and contemporary music will be performed by the finest musicians of the Massed Bands of the Guards. They will be joined this year by The Mounted Band of the Household Cavalry, The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, the Royal Choral Society and guest performers The Band and Pipes of the Royal Guard of Oman and The Pipes & Drums of the Argyll and The Band & Pipes of the Royal Regiment of Scotland.

Email your answer to [email protected].

Prize includes one pair of Beating Retreat tickets on 6 June at Horse Guards Parade.

Competition closes on 4 June at 4.30pm. Winner to be notified via email.